n the mud and slake his thirst without
much trouble; and here also we find the wild pig.

The gruff hippopotamus is as widespread as any, being found wherever
there is water to float him; whilst the shy giraffe and zebra affect all
open forests and plains where the grass is not too long; and antelopes,
of great variety in species and habits, are found wherever man will
let them alone and they can find water. The lion is, however, rarely
heard--much more seldom seen. Hyenas are numerous, and thievishly
inclined. Leopards, less common, are the terror of the villagers. Foxes
are not numerous, but frighten the black traveller by their ill-omened
bark. Hares, about half the size of English ones--there are no
rabbits--are widely spread, but not numerous; porcupines the same. Wild
cats, and animals of the ferret kind, destroy game. Monkeys of various
kinds and squirrels harbour in the trees, but are rarely seen. Tortoises
and snakes, in great variety, crawl over the ground, mostly after the
rains. Rats and lizards--there are but few mice--are very abundant, and
feed both in the fields and on the stores of the men.

The wily ostrich, bustard, and florikan affect all open places. The
guinea-fowl is the most numerous of all game-birds. Partridges come
next, but do not afford good sport; and quails are rare. Ducks and snipe
appear to love Africa less than any other country; and geese and storks
are only found where water most abounds. Vultures are uncommon; hawks
and crows much abound, as in all other countries; but little birds, of
every colour and note, are discoverable in great quantities near water
and by the villages. Huge snails and small ones, as well as fresh-water
shells, are very abundant, though the conchologist would find but little
variety to repay his labours; and insects, though innumerable, are best
sought for after the rains have set in. [3]

The Wanguana or Freed Men

The Wa-n-guana, as their name implies, are men freed from slavery; and
as it is to these singular negroes acting as hired servants that I have
been chiefly indebted for opening this large section of Africa, a few
general remarks on their character cannot be out of place here.

Of course, having been born in Africa, and associated in childhood with
the untainted negroes, they retain all the superstitious notions of the
true aborigines, though somewhat modified, and even corrupted, by that
acquaintance with the outer world which sharpens the